The frame is solid and built like a tank. I've done almost everything on this bike and it won't quite. I use this bike only for off-road. I bought it as a starter bike back in 2004 and I have yet to have anything break. I have swapped out components over the years, but not because of breakage. The bike is tough looking too. The EX handles great in downhill and technical sections.

After really learning to ride, you notice that the stock components are not that good. A little heavy but ok. Rough climbing

over all this bike is awsome. It has done everything I've wanted and worth the original purchase price. Now I have completely upgraded every component on this bike and it rides even better

Overall I found the bike to be very strong and durable. I purchased the bike back in 2008 and drove it around quite often until 2012 when it got stolen. I used this bike as my get around town bike, but also took it out onto trails occasionally and it handled like a champ. Others have mentioned the bike having low quality parts. I would agree that they are probably low quality compared to what you would find on a $1000+ bike, but they are far better than what you will find on a bike from a big box store.

This bike weighs quite a bit. If the frame didn't say it was an aluminum frame on it, I wouldn't have guessed it wasn't steel in a million years. It's not too heavy that it ruins the bike, but it is definitely noticeable.

Aside from the weight, the front fork was the only other problem area for me. Soon after buying the bike the preload knob on the fork popped out and wasn't covered by warranty. The forks still worked fine - but bottomed out very easily. But that tends to happen with 80mm of travel.

Oh, and the breaks are a bit weak, but I never spent much time trying to tweak then a bit better. I liked to think of them as anti-lock breaks on a bike :)

Overall a good bike. A hardtail of similar price from a brand like spexialized, trek, etc would provide more quality for your buck. However if you are adamant about dual suspension like I was, you probably won't find many better bikes in the $500 price range. You must ask yourself before you buy this bike if dual suspension is more important to you than weight and part quality. If not, buy a quality hardtale for the same price. Or save up and go big with a quality dual suspension bike.

Overall good design, good geometry, great brakes. Takes a beating.

Weak weld joint at the swingarm pivot. Poor weld job at the factory. I cracked it within the first 5 min after purchase. Did a 2 foot bunny hop in a flat parking lot. Snapped the welds clean. Budget suspension, Stock derailer skips sometimes after hard landings. Pedals aren't great. Cranks could be better.

Overall great bike. Parts are cheap, but will do the job for mild riding. Brakes are great. I use this primarily for urban trials/street riding, and commuting. I've launched off some big stair cases, wall rides, hopping big curbs, low gates and the usual obsticales you can find around a major city. Taken every bit of it. I like the cheap suspension cause it gives the bike a little bit more pop of the flat. The weight is distributed really well. It may not be the lightest bike but it's not bad at all. I've owned full ChroMo BMX bikes that weigh as much as this thing. Be aware of the plate running across the swingarm pivot. Looks like some units got a Monday weld job and crack easily. If you're out of warranty, suck up the repair bill and have the welder add a 1/8" piece of plate to that area and weld it in on all sides. I had a 1/2" piece of tube added vertically between the left side of the triangle just to aid in rigidity. Hopefully it won't fatigue that area as much in the future. Cost about $50 if you can disassemble the bike yourself.

Similar Products Used:

Specialized Hardrock, Next ZX full suspension. 10 years of GT and Mongoose BMX products.

frames pretty strong

headset SUCKS!!!!!!!!! everything but frame if you say you race dh uhhh thers 4'' of travel

fun starter bike save up and get a reall dh bike

Similar Products Used:

trek remedy 8

great beginner bike, havent had any real problems from the bike, IOX disc brakes if tuned work very well, wheels are vry strong, tires PRICE, color lol

rear derailer, rear shock, front derailer, cheap shifters, a little heavy pedals suck bad derailers are cheap but pretty good for the price i paid

i love it, the bike is a good starting point, but more serious you need the more upgrades you need, after my upgrades i feel that this bike is great and i loved getting to pick out the parts that i wanted and setting everything up the way i wanted and still not spending a fortune, the bike has now taken everything i can throw at it

Similar Products Used:

none really, i rode BMX forever on a terrible 1

Strong rigid frame, good pivots for the rear triangle, sturdy rims...haven't tweaked them yet and I ride pretty hard

Handlebars had to be replaces, tires wore out too quickly, bad location for the serial number, could run cable housings on top of the frame to prevent water and gunk buildup, rear shock

This bike has ballz! I do a lot of drops and jumps with it, and I have only had one issue with the rear shock blowing out. Frame is strong, and with the new gear set-up, churning through the mud is not a hard task!!

Similar Products Used:

none

This is a very rugged and sturdy frame. beefy tubes make it strong enough to handle just about anything. The biggest strength for mine was i bought the frame only to build it up custom. i am a relative newb to DH, but i have been riding XC and FR since i was 14.

I haven't run into any weaknesses from the frame other than weight.

This bike is sturdy enough to take almost anything you can throw at it, but you will need to spend a lot of money to get the upgrades needed to make this bike fly. I put a total of $600 into my bike and i love it. If you are a newb or don't plan on making any huge jumps, this bike is for you.

Similar Products Used:

low-end WM bikes (mongoose xr250, next powerclimber)

Great performance/value. High quality in general but for a major flaw in rear frame member.

Rear triangle frame member has cracked at base/weld.

Had been hitting some hard trails, but nothing too crazy.
DICKS/Diamondback not coming through on warranty.
Been over 3 months. Anyone know of an optional frame member to use or parts supplier/repair shop? If so, plz contact
spinakerz@yahoo.com

Similar Products Used:

Trek

Solid Frame, good shifters, great WTB saddle, excellent grips. Great starter bike.

Disc Brakes, Pedals, Rear derailleur, Derailluer Hanger.

Spent $249 for the Bike. spend additional $325. Decent starter bike but you will need to invest some money.

Similar Products Used:

First MTB Bike.

Price, Durability, Appearance, Decent Components (at the price)

Rear Shock feels like a pogo stick, the front fork is OK but a better one wouldn't hurt. I know when I was a noob I kept landing with the front wheel first and was b*tching about it bottoming out, now I rarely do so since I land correctly. Handle bars have to be changed if you do any jumping, the steel bends easily after a season or 2 of hard landings. I had the alivio derailleur and hanger bent somehow when I went over a log, I ended up upgrading the hanger and derailleur to a deore which has been great. I notice a lot of chain slap when going down hill, and the derailleur really takes a beating against the frame (could be a derailleur design/spring problem though). Pedals need to be changed also, the plastic ones on there ended up cracking on me and had terrible grip when they got muddy/wet. And lastly, this thing is pretty heavy, but I really don't have a problem with that as it will prepare me better for my next bike.

Its a bottom end full suspension bike that gets the job done. Haven't really had a major failure after all the abuse I put it through (riding through 2-3 ft of water, mud, 4ft drop offs, rocky downhills with some jumps, falling off bike and having the bike go down the hill as some examples). You can find great deals on used parts and make this a decent budget all mountain/downhill bike.

Similar Products Used:

Low End Walmart/Target bikes, friends Motobecane bikes